DULUTH — A 51-year-old man from Morrison County, Minn., died on Memorial Day in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to Trout Lake around 2:20 p.m. Monday, May 31, after the man had fallen out of a boat, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. He was underwater for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Despite lifesaving efforts by boaters and later, first responders, the man died on the scene. Authorities had not yet released the name of the man Tuesday morning.
Law enforcement was told that the victim was last seen fishing from a "pedestal-type chair" and that other passengers realized the victim, who was not wearing a life jacket, had fallen into the water when they heard a large splash.
The boat's passengers, as well as other boaters, were able to pull the man out of the water before first responders arrived.
The Sheriff's Office and the Midwest Medical Examiners Office are investigating the incident. Tower Ambulance, Ely Ambulance, the U.S. Forest Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources assisted the Sheriff's Office.
